Frequently Asked Questions

We'd love to but... the 680 lakes included in the LakePulse Survey must be selected randomly to allow us to extrapolate our results to many more lakes in Canada. Therefore, even though we may not be sampling your favourite lake, we hope to be able to provide a report on it's health status using our remote sensing and spatial modelling approaches together with any data that you can provide from your lake.

There are several programs that help lake associations and citizens to sample their lakes. If a sampling program does not yet exist for your lake, we recommend that you contact your provincial or territorial ministry of environment, which should be able to help you if you want to start a monitoring program. If you already collect data, consider sending it to us. We will include it in our database, which will eventually allow us to provide you with an automated report on the health of your lake.

Advancing lake science

The NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network is a scientific initiative on environmental issues affecting Canadian lakes. It brings together experts in lake science, spatial modelling, analytical chemistry, public health, remote sensing, amongst others. The impacts of land-use changes, climate change and contaminants are assessed while developing new tools for lake stewardship. We are supported by an NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant.

Training future lake experts

Our scientists provide students with interdisciplinary training and inspire them to face freshwater challenges with a collaborative spirit and scientific rigour.

Supporting lake management

Water managers, municipalities, lake associations, governments and non-governmental organizations all need access to lake health and watershed information, especially to support decision-making and guide policies. We coordinate with diverse groups to ensure that our LakePulse.ca Water Portal will provide relevant and accessible information based on results from our projects. The LakePulse.ca Water Portal will provide interactive maps on the health of Canadian lakes and on regional threats.